Low carb family meals ideas

Google "Linda's Low Carb" - she has a HUGE recipes section. LOVE that site!

You could look at sites like cooking light and eating well and select "low carb" for recipe ideas. That said, carbs aren't necessarily an enemy. I generally agree that the average diet has too many and in particular, too many processed carbs...but they aren't inherently evil and an important mocro nutrient.

Personally, I'd focus more on general nutrition as a whole...replace those processed carbs with fruits, vegetables, and whole grains and stick to serving sizes. I found that when I cut the chips and sodas and candies and cookies, white breads, etc...and replaced these primarily with fruits, vegetables, and whole grains, that my carb intake went down substantially all on it's own. Of course, to get proper nutrition and eat the requisite calories, you have to replace those carbs with other macro nutrients...i.e. more lean protein and healthy fats.

From there, you can adjust your macros to where you want them to be for you and your family, but I really don't think it's necessary to dip below 40% of your calories being carbs.

Hi Raylener: Wrote some of these down in a sort of "starter book" as am in UK (available for free on Amazon Prime, called Fat Bird Thin) and finding recipes is a nightmare as we have different ingredients available. Also, writing a book before 40 (even noone reads it - was a New Years resolution last year. Really hope your family enjoy them.

Picnic Pizza Pie


OK – so maybe it’s not a pork pie, or a steak & ale pie, but it’s got lots packed into it, and goes down well on picnics, with the chicken sausage rolls, wrapped in lettuce.

Ingredients
• 500g M & S pork sausages (why M & S? Better fat / protein ratio). Take sausage meat out of its skins
• 50g tomato puree mixed with salt, pepper, thyme & oregano
• 1 large courgette – cut into small strips (microwave to soften for a minute)
• ½ medium onion - finely diced
• 2 slices ham or chorizo – diced or sliced
• 3 eggs
• 4 tbsp double cream
• Grated cheddar cheese
• ½ green pepper - deseeded and finely sliced

Preparation:
1. Preheat oven to 200C.
2. Line a round tin with greased proof paper, and then spread the sausage meat to cover the base. Make sure you leave a 1-inch space in between the sausage meat & the edge of the tin.
3. Layer the tomato puree on top of the sausage meat, then the strips of courgette.
4. Beat together the eggs and cream.
5. Add the onion, ham, pepper, cheese & herbs into the egg / cream mix.
6. Pour the veggie egg mix on top of the sausage meat, tomato puree & courgette layers.
7. Cook for about 35 minutes or until cooked and the top is brown.

Hungarian Goulash (found when I was in Budapest)


Ingredients (for 4 persons)
• 600 g beef shin or shoulder, or any tender part of the beef cut into 2x2 cm cubes
• 2 tablespoons oil or lard
• 2 medium onions, chopped
• 2 cloves of garlic, grated – as grated has a stronger flavour
• 1-2 carrots, diced
• 2 medium tomatoes, peeled and chopped, or 1 tbs. tomato paste
• 2-3 medium sweet potatoes (or pumpkin), sliced
• 1 tablespoon Hungarian paprika powder
• 1 bay leaf
• Ground black pepper and salt according to taste
• Water

Preparation:
1. Heat up the oil or lard in a pot and braise the chopped onions in it until they get a nice golden brown colour.
2. Sprinkle the braised onions with paprika powder while stirring them to prevent the paprika from burning.
3. Add the beef cubes and sauté them till they turn white and get a bit of brownish colour as well.
4. The meat will let out its own juice; let the beef-cubes simmer in it while adding the grated garlic, the ground caraway seed, some salt and ground black pepper and the bay leaf. Cover with water and simmer for 30 minutes.
5. Tip the whole lot into a slow cooker – or a big casserole dish (with a lid) and add diced carrots, the pumpkin (or any lower carb vegetable e.g. sweet potato), the celery leaf and some more salt if necessary. Add some more water to cover the vegetables, if required.
6. You can remove the lid of the pan if you want the soup to thicken or see the “tips” section for other ways to thicken sauces & stews.
7. When you are about to serve, add the tomato cubes.


Hubbie's Juicy Burgers


These are so gorgeous. We made them for a barbecue and had some leftover. Every month, I take my Mum & Dad Tupperware containers of frozen food and one contained these burgers. Cheeky bugger said she was going to warm them up and give them to the dogs! She said after putting them in the over, they smelt so delicious, that she ate them. And she doesn’t even eat burgers.

Serves 4

Ingredients:
• 500g lean minced beef
• Handful of chopped mint
• 2 garlic cloves, crushed
• Handful of chopped coriander
• 40g sun-dried tomatoes in oil, drained and finely chopped
• 1 onion, very finely chopped
• Low carb bread, or big lettuce leaves, for serving
• 50g rocket

Preparation
1. Place the minced beef, coriander, garlic, mint, sun-dried tomatoes in a large bowl and use your hands to mix the ingredients together thoroughly.
2. Divide the mixture equally into 4 and shape into burgers, about 10cm across and a similar size to the buns. If you want the mixture a little “wetter”, then add an egg.
3. Brush the grill rack or frying pan lightly with oil and cook the burgers for 6 - 8 minutes on each side, until browned on the outside and cooked through.

Serve with low carb bread or big lettuce leaves as your buns, and hot salsa.

Leeky Lasagna


I first saw this on the Hairy Bikers and have slightly amended it for my purposes. If you don’t like leeks, you can use strips of courgette instead.
Ingredients:
• 25g butter, for greasing baking tin or casserole dish
• 1kg lean minced beef
• 100g Portobello mushrooms, sliced
• 2 tins of chopped tomatoes
• 5 leeks, sliced thin lengthwise
• 500g mozzarella, drained & sliced
• Handful of chopped basil
• 50g parmesan cheese, fresh grated
• 1 onion, chopped
• 3 garlic cloves, chopped
• Handful of chopped oregano & thyme
• Salt and pepper

Preparation:
1. Sauté the onions until golden. Add the garlic and mushrooms and cook 5 minutes on medium heat. Add the chopped tomatoes & herbs. Put into a bowl and lay aside.
2. Use same pan to brown the beef, and drain well. Add the beef to the tomato mixture.
3. In a greased baking tin or a casserole dish, arrange a layer of leek in the bottom of the pan, unfolding the leek “sheets” & laying the pieces side by side closely, as though they were lasagna sheets.
4. Next, add a layer of the mozzarella, and sprinkle on basil.
5. Next, add a layer of the beef / tomato mixture and a layer of mozzarella cheese.
6. Repeat until everything is gone. Make the top layer Parmesan cheese. Cover with foil.
7. Bake at 180C for about 45 minutes.
8. Uncover; turn the oven up to 200C and bake until brown - about 10 minutes.


Hope you enjoy them

Sarah

Also, if anyone is looking for a recipe to make your own low carb buns (hamburgers are better on buns), I've made these in the past, they're really good and don't make you feel deprived....

http://yourlighterside.com/gluten-free-low-carb-buns-aka-oopsie-rolls/

That looks really good! How many carbs are in gravy mix?

Thank you for the "your lighter side" suggestion.
from that, this afternoon, i made the: low carb deep dish pan pizza
only 1 carb and 193 cals per serving.

huh. Interesting. I just know that carbs breakdown into stored fat and jacks up the insulin, right? I just want to limit the carbs right now until we can get on track. My kids love tortillas and bread. That needs to stop. Thank you for your suggestions though:)

I'd research DNL and also I'd watch out for protein intake, which is highly insulinogenic. Then reassess your thoughts about carbs

You should read wheat belly